SVT and SR require information about the ground network

On Tuesday, the so-called distribution investigation regarding how radio and television should be distributed in the future was presented, with a particular focus on public service. The background is that commercial actors such as TV4 and Boxer have left the terrestrial network, which means that the entire cost of television distribution now falls on SVT. Management has previously stated that costs will increase by SEK 192 million as a result.

The investigation states that costs have doubled for SVT between 2024 and 2026, while SR has seen an increase of around 20 percent. Despite this, there was no ready proposal for a new, permanent funding model that can compensate public service for the loss in the long term.

The investigation also does not, primarily, want the additional cost to be financed with new money for Teracom - the state-owned company that operates Sweden's terrestrial network for radio and television. It is motivated, among other things, by the fact that changes to the financing system during the ongoing authorization period require that the Riksdag repeal decisions already made.

At the same time, a parallel process is underway where SVT and SR have previously demanded full compensation to cover the costs, which would mean 383 million kroner to SVT and 82 million to SR, for 2026 and 2027.

The distribution investigation also leaves something that can be interpreted as an opening for the public service companies. If the costs for the ground network are increased further, it could be justified to postpone funding to Teracom, if the company's ownership or form of authority is changed at the same time, according to investigator Charlotte Ingvar-Nilsson.

Among the more radical proposals going forward that the investigator wants people to look at is the possibility of selling all or parts of Teracom's operations, where Telia is singled out as a potential buyer.

In a blog post, SVT highlights the positive aspect of the investigation concluding that the ground network is important for total defense and that Teracom's social mission should not be profit-making. CEO Anne Lagercrantz also points to the many question marks that remain.

- The uncertainty remains and I still expect the government to quickly decide on full compensation for the additional costs from 2025 and as long as they remain, says Anne Lagercrantz in the blog post.

SR also emphasizes how important it is that the government quickly comes to a decision about this extra money.

- The question of the ground network's long-term financing remains to be answered, says Chief of Staff Gabriel Byström to DN.

Culture Minister Parisa Liljestrand (M) is clear that she will not prioritize the issue during the time she remains at the helm.

"Sweden currently has a transitional government. It is therefore up to the incoming government to decide how to proceed in this matter," she writes in a comment to DN.